Transition coupling buffer



May 17, 1966 ,1 BELLE ETAL TRANSITION COUPLING BUFFER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 14, 1964 INVENTOR. Laurence TLaEe/{e yGaya/wn y 1966 T. LA BELLE ET AL 3,251,482

TRANSITION COUPLING BUFFER Filed Aug. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. L aurence T Lafie/(e 3,251,482 TRANSITION COUPLING BUFFER Laurence T. La Belle, Westchester, Ill., and Gregory G. Gagarin, Chevy Chase, Md., assignors to W. H. Miner, Inc, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 389,566

4 Claims. (Cl. 213-112) This invention relates in general to railway car conversion coupler arrangements and more particularly to an improved arrangement or method for permitting a hook coupler on one railway car to be coupled to a draw hook coupler on an adjacent car without danger of contact or bulfeting therebetween during operation of the cars.

A hook coupler comprises a hook member pivotally mounted on one end of a railway car. It is connected to a similar hook member at the end of an adjacent car by means of a chain connection which is drawn tight through a conventional turnbuckle or by dropping the chain ends over the hook members while the buffers are compressed and then relieving the pressure on the buffers. Needless to say such arrangements are being superseded in many parts of the world by automatic coupling devices employing draw hook couplers. However, until replacement is completed it is necessary to employ cars having draw hook. couplers with the existing hook coupler equipped cars.

If a hook coupler is to be connected to the draw hook coupler the hook member is generally linked to projections or wings on the side of the 'draw hook member coupler through a chain assembly having quick-acting links for engaging with the wings. While the chains may be taut'during the period the cars are under forces, tending to pull them apart, it becomes slack when the cars tend toward each other.

On cars equipped with hook couplers the buffer heads extend a considerable distance from the end .walls of the cars to permit a considerable bufling force to be absorbed and to prevent the hook couplers coming into direct contact despite the chain slack so that damage to passengers and lading may be avoided.

The buffer heads on the cars having the draw hook couplers on'the other hand must terminate adjacent a line passing through the effective pulling face of the coupler knuckle. The buffer head on the car having the hook coupler therefor must engage with the draw hook car buffer along that line. Since the draw hook extends to a position adjacent that line, while the buffer heads must move away from the line in response to a bufling force, a distinct possibility exists that the draw hook coupler knuckle may strike the hook coupler when the buffers are compressed a distance approximating their maximum strokes.

This situation can be prevented, of course,,by shortening the compressive stroke of the buifers. Shortening the stroke of the buffers however presents several problems as the initial portion of the stroke must be maintained fairly free in order to accommodate slight shocks without undue resistance to car movement as when negotiating curves.

In order to solve this problem previous solutions have required alterations in the buffer on the hook coupler car since changes in its construction offers the least problems. These alterations require disassembly of the butter in order to replace one or more of the rubber pads therein with a wooden block. This leaves the spring stroke for absorbing light shocks intact but results in a loss in the ability of the buffer to absorb heavy shocks and the discarding of an expensive rubber pad in addition to the expense of both disassembling and then assembling the buffer.

I United States Patent 3,251,482 Patented May 17, 1966 The present invention therefore proposes a unique solution for limiting the stroke of the buifer on the hook coupler car with minimum interference with its stroke and with either none or minimum disassembly procedure. In essence, simple adapter or cap is interposed between the buffer plunger and the buffer head with a shoulder on the cap limiting the total buffer travel during the portion of the stroke when heavy compressive forces are applied and there is the possibility of the hook engaging the coupler knuckle.

In one arrangement of the invention the cap is provided in the .form of a ring which is slipped over the buffer stem after the stem is disassembled from the buffer. In another arrangement even this simple disassembly is avoided by providing a split cap which may be slipped over the stem and plunger without disassembling the stem. The slip cap is then fastened together over the stem and plunger to complete a ring encircling the stem and plunger,

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved and more economical arrangement or method for adapting a hook coupler car for use with a draw hook coupler car.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved and more economical arrangement for converting a buffer on a hook coupler car for use with bufiers on either another hook coupler car or a car equipped with a draw hook coupler.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adapter for facilely converting a buffer used provide means or methods for converting a buffer on a hook coupler car for use with a buffer on a draw hook coupler car without requiring either complete or any disassembly of the hook coupler car buffer or the discarding of valuable components thereof.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent on examination of the following specification and claims together with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a general schematic plan view taken along the elongate axis of a pair of railway cars and illustrating the coupling arrangement between a hook coupler and a draw hook coupler together with one of the buffers associated with the draw hook coupler and a sectional *portion of one of the bulfers associated with the hook coupler;

FIG. 2 illustrates the remaining portion of the buffer shown in section in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of one type of adapter for use with the buffer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 3a is a sectional view of the adapter shown in FIG. 3 taken along the line 3a3a in FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of another adapter for use with the buffer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4a is a sectional view of the adapter shown in FIG. 4 taken along the line 4a-4a in FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a split adapter for use with the buffer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5a is a sectional view of the adapter shown in FIG. 5 taken along the line 5a5a in FIG. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of another split adapter for use with the buffer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and 4 FIG. 6a is a sectional view of the adapter shown in FIG. -6 taken along the line 6a6a in FIG. 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

the purpose of economy and weight-saving. The internal radius of shoulders 112 and 114 are chosen to receive the plunger 26.

To assemble the caps 100 and 102 to buffer 14 it is required that the nut 60 be unthreaded from the stem 24 and that the stem be extracted from the plunger 26. The cap is then engaged with the plunger 26 and the stem reassembled through the cap. The shoulder is fastened to the plunger in any suitable, manner such as welding. Since even this procedure may entail some inconvenience, the caps 104 and 106 are provided for direct assembly to the buffer 14 without any disassembly procedure.

Thus, the cap 104 comprises two semi-circular ring portions 116 and 118 each having a correspondingly shaped semicircular peripheral shoulder 120. A flange 122 projecting in opposite directions is provided on each end of the shoulder 120 of the portions 116 and 118. To assemble the cap 104 to the butter 14 the two shoulders 120 are brought into encircling engagement with the plunger 26 with the portions 116 and- 118 encircling the stem. The flanges 122 at the ends are then fastened together by means of bolts 124 and nuts 126 to clamp the cap 104 in position without disassembling the buffer.

The cap 106 is similar to cap 104 in that the two semicircular portions 130 and 132 are provided together with shoulders 134 corresponding in shape to shoulders 120. The portions 130 and 132 are also provided with flanges 136 at one end of each portion with flanges 136 being similar to flanges 122. The other end of portion 130 is provided with a pair of outwardly extending spaced apart ears 140 between which an car 142 on the corresponding end of portion 132 is adapted to nest. The ears 140 and 142 are provided with aligned apertures in which a pin or rivet 144 is received to permit relative rotation between the portions 130 and 132 about the axis of the rivet.

Thus, one portion 130 may be engaged with the buffer plunger and stem while the other portion 132 pivotally depends therefrom. The portion 132 may then be rotated into engagement with the plunger and steam and bring the flanges 136 into alignment. The flanges 136 are then fastened together by a bolt and nut 146 to assemble the cap on the buffer without necessitating the disassembly of the buffer.

The foregoing description pertains to an improved transition butter and coupling arrangement whose inventive concepts are believed set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A bufier carried on one railway car having a hook coupler adapted to be engaged with a draw hook coupler carried by another car, said buffer comprising a casing carrying a plurality of rubber pads, a stem carrying a head and adapted to pass through'said pads for engagement with resilient means, a plunger movably carried by said casing and adapted to place said pads under compression in response to movement of said head in one direction for a predetermined distance, a ring encircling said stem between said head and said plunger whereby said head is adapted to exert compressive force against said plunger, and a peripheral shoulder on said ring adapted to encircle said plunger for movement with said plunger and against said casing after said ring is engaged by said head whereby the. movement of said head,

in said one direction is limited by an amount corresponding to the height of said shoulder to prevent said hook coupler from colliding with a draw hook coupler interconnected therewith.

2. The :bufier claimed in claim 1 in which said shoulder has a plurality of spaced apart slots therein.

3. A buffer carried on one railway car having a hook coupler adapted to be engaged with a draw hook coupler carried by another car, said buffer comprising a casing carrying a plurality of rubber pads, a stern carrying a head at one end with the other end of said stem adapted to pass through said pads, means adjacent the other end of said stem for compressing a coiled spring encircling said stem, a plunger encircling said stem and movably carried by said casing while permitting said stem to move therethrough, means on said plunger adapted to place said pads under compression in response to movement of said head in one direction for a predetermined distance, a ring encircling said stem between said head and said plunger whereby said head is adapted to exert compressive force against said plunger on movement of said stern into engagement. with said ring, and a shoulder on said ring arranged for movement with said plunger and against said casing after said ring is engaged by. said head for limiting the movement of said head in said one direction by an amount corresponding to the height of said shoulder whereby said hook coupler is prevented from engaging a draw hook coupler interconnected therewith.

4. A method for use in shortening the stroke of a buffer carried on a railway car having a hook coupler adapted to be chain linked with a draw hook coupler, the improvement comprising the step of interposing an element between the head of said buffer and stop means on said buffer, the step of rendering said element mova'ble with said head only during a predetermined portion of the movement of said head whereby said element engages said stop means to prevent said couplers from engaging, and the step of interposing a second element between said head and the plunger of said bufler for enabling said head to engage said plunger after movement of a predetermined increment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES, PATENTS 709,366 9/1902 Sexton 28752.03 2,278,625 4/1942 Traylor et a1. 287--52.03 2,540,630 2/1951 Munro 213-221 2,950,933 8/1960 Mayne et al. 287-5203 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,236,997 10/1959 France.

539,764 9/1941 Great Britain.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

B. FAUST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUFFER CARRIED ON ONE RAILWAY CAR HAVING A HOOK COUPLER ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED WITH A DRAW HOOK COUPLER CARRIED BY ANOTHER CAR, SAID BUFFER COMPRISING A CASING CARRYING A PLURALITY OF RUBBER PADS, A STEM CARRYING A HEAD AND ADAPTED TO PASS THROUGH SAID PADS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH RESILIENT MEANS, A PLUNGER MOVABLY CARRIED BY SAID CASING AND ADAPTED TO PLACE SAID PADS UNDER COMPRESSION IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID HEAD IN ONE DIRECTION FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, A RING ENCIRCLING SAID STEM BETWEEN SAID HEAD AND SAID PLUNGER WHEREBY SAID HEAD IS ADAPTED TO EXERT COMPRESSIVE FORCE AGAINST SAID PLUNGER, AND A PERIPHERAL SHOULDER ON SAID RING ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE SAID PLUNGER FOR MOVEMENT WITH SAID PLUNGER AND AGAINST SAID CASING AFTER SAID RING IS ENGAGED BY SAID HEAD WHEREBY THE MOVEMENT OF SAID HEAD IN SAID ONE DIRECTION IS LIMITED BY AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO THE HEIGHT OF SAID SHOULDER TO PREVENT SAID HOOK COUPLER FROM COLLIDING WITH A DRAW HOOK COUPLER INTERCONNECTED THEREWITH. 